Empathic Therapy- Autism/Trauma/Attachment/Extreme States- Scranton/Binghamton

batushkad@yahoo.com Born in Tampa, Florida, Dr. Dan L. Edmunds is a noted psychotherapist and traumatologist, existential psychoanalyst, social activist, Professor of Existential Psychology and Director of the Critical Psychology Certificate and Alternative Mental Health Services programs at European-American University. Dr. Edmunds for the past 12 years has been dedicated to drug free relational approaches to help those undergoing extreme states of mind (schizophrenia and psychoses, bipolar) as well as aiding autistic and developmentally different persons. Dr. Edmunds has worked with other 80 autistic and developmentally different clients and developed the Autism Acceptance Coalition to promote autonomy, understanding, and dignity of autistic and developmentally different persons. He encourages dignified and respectful ways to help autistic and developmentall different persons. Dr. Edmunds recently published an e- book to BEING AUTISTIC: AN APPROACH TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE which explores autism as a way of being rather than an 'entity' and detail the interactions with over 80 developmentally different clients. Dr. Edmunds has developed relational approaches for autistic and developmentally different persons and had often amzong breakthroughs with these persons all while keeping a focus on the need for acceptance, respect, and dignity. Dr. Edmunds currently resides in Dunmore in Northeastern Pennsylvania and has his private practices in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania in the Endless Mountains region and Kingston, Pennsylvania. Dr. Edmunds pioneered an amazing project where persons who would be typically institutionalized and given large amounts of suppressive medication could instead live in the community or with other supportive individuals and be supported in a way where barriers between therapist and client are broken down. This project has been termed "The Sanctuary project/Prince 104" and has been particularly helpful to persons undergoing extreme states of mind. These individuals often came with severe psychiatric labels (schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar) and prescribed many psychiatric drugs. Dr. Edmunds was able to develop a relationship with them where they were able to feel empowered and reduce their dependency on these psychiatric drugs. Dr. Edmunds wrote the book MYSTICAL METAPHORS in collaboration with a young person who had undergone a psychotic experience. MYSTICAL METAPHORS helps to make this experience intelligible. It is one of the most dynamic and personal stories clearly relating the experience of psychosis. Dr. Edmunds is a contributor to PSYCHOLOGY TODAY in the area of Extreme States of Mind and writes for the Mad in America website. Dr. Edmunds attended elementary school in St. Petersburg, FL and Fort Collins, CO. Dr. Edmunds graduated from Fort Collins High School in Colorado. He completed undergraduate studies at the University of Florida and received a Master of Arts in Theology from the University of Scranton. He completed post graduate work in Dispute Resolution at Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Edmunds completed his Doctorate of Education in Community Counseling at University of Sarasota. He received Board Certification through the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. Dr. Edmunds, from a young age, has always sought for an ethical society based on dignity and compassion. He won a writer's award for Ethical Reasoning sponsored by the Fort Collins Coloradoan in 1987. In 1991, at the age of 16, he was the youngest legislative aide to serve in the Colorado State Senate (working in the office of then State Senator Robert W. Schaffer) and became involved in social activism. He was involved with the Students for Peace and Justice at Fort Collins High School. In 1992, he was on the campaign staff of US Rep. Corrine Brown in Florida and had the opportunity to transport and dialogue with Martin Luther King III. Also in 1992, he organized a Youth Commission in Ormond Beach, FL and been a speaker at various political events. His political commentary has been focused on social justice/equality and civil liberty. He has spoken at numerous political events including a talk to the Pocono Libertarian Party in 2003. Politically, Dr. Edmunds is a left libertarian. He continues to reach out to young people and engage in the activist community through his lectures. Dr. Edmunds spoke at the Wooden Shoe Bookstore in July 2011 and at the Bluestockings Bookstore and Activist Center in New York City on November 26, 2011. Dr.Edmunds has been actively involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement and a speaker at the movements events in Scranton, Pennsylvania and New York City. Dr. Edmunds has served in the past in ministry and as a chaplain for the elderly and veterans. In 1998, he was inducted into the National Honor Society for Theology and Religious Studies and published an article in the University of Scranton's Diakonia Journal for Eastern Christian Studies. He was ordained in the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1997, later leaving and entering the EADM, a denomination in the Liberal Catholic tradition and the Society for Humanistic Potential. Dr. Edmunds began to challenge dogmatism and developed a more pluralist outlook. He became interested in Buddhist meditation and in 2007, participated in a Mahayana Refuge Vow Ceremony at the Kadampa Buddhist World Peace Temple in Glen Spey, New York. Dr. Dan L. Edmunds is the compassionate voice in the mental health system. He is a leading figure in the worldwide movement for a more humane psychiatric system and for progressive mental health services. He is a noted psychotherapist, child developmental specialist, sociologist and counselor working with both children and adults. His prolific books have discussed the social, political, and familial processes that create emotional distress and he has developed drug free approaches to aiding individuals undergoing extreme states of mind. Psychologist and Professor Eddy Regnier, Ph.D. remarked that Dr. Edmunds "(has) wonderful openness (and is able) to find calm even in the most troubled situation" and Psychologist and author John Breeding, Ph.D. has stated that Dr. Edmunds is a very clear thinker and writer who has defended and supported the spirited nature of children. Dr. Edmunds' social psychological work has focused on the political, social, and familial dynamics leading to emotional distress and he has frequently commented on the 'numbing' of our society. Dr. Edmunds is Professor of Existential Psychology and Comparative Religion for the European-American University and Director of the Critical Psychology Certificate Program and the Graduate program for Alternative Mental Health. Dr. Edmunds is a member of the International Society for Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy. Dr. Edmunds has posed critical questions to the psychiatric establishment and to society as a whole and has developed approaches towards helping distressed individuals that are compassionate and empowering and encourage self-determination and autonomy. He has been an advocate for social justice and for human rights in the mental health system. He has helped many individuals given various serious psychiatric labels live a more fulfilling life and be able to reduce or eliminate their dependency on psychiatric drugs. Many persons who have been damaged by bio-psychiatry have come to Dr. Edmunds for consultation as a last resort. Dr. Edmunds was one of the first to alert to stimulant induced mania and has been an expert witness in cases of involuntary intoxication by psychiatric drugs and has also assisted in situations where persons were to be involuntarily committed. Dr. Edmunds has extensive experience aiding those undergoing extreme states of mind (what is commonly diagnosed as schizophrenia, bipolar, schizoaffective) and those who have the experience of hearing voices. He has worked with over 80 autistic/developmentally children using a relational approach and has been a proponent of the autistic rights movement. Dr. Edmunds' articles "Entering Their Imaginative World" and "The Value of a Relationship Based Approach to Autism" and his book , "Navigating Through the Mainstream" detail some of his loving, respectful, and supportive work with autistic children and their families. Dr. Edmunds has also been involved in successful drug free intervention for children and teens with challenging behaviors, particularly those who have received such labels as Bipolar, Conduct Disorder, ADHD, or Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Dr. Edmunds has been involved in family mediation and offered expert testimony in family courts. Dr. Edmunds' has been active in issues of social justice for some time. Dr. Edmunds' work has become known internationally. He has been featured in various news articles and nationally syndicated radio programs. He previously hosted a local radio program addressing children's mental health. In 2002, while still a doctoral candidate, he was the one of the first mental health professionals to alert to stumulant induced mania and the rise of ADHD labeled children being labeled with bipolar as a result. In 2006, Dr. Edmunds founded the International Center for Humane Psychiatry, an emancipatory movement of mental health professionals, survivors and others seeking to replace biological psychiatry with more humane and dignified therapeutic means of helping those in distress. Dr. Edmunds' article, "Restoring the Soul to the Mental Health System" was published in the Aaina Journal of the Center for Mental Health Advocacy in Pune, Maharashtra, India and he is currently collaborating in research with the Bapu Trust for Mind and Discourse in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Dr. Edmunds has been involved in mental health reform efforts in Ireland. He is the author of "The Meeting of Two Persons" and "Mystical Metaphors" as well as numerous articles related to humane psychiatry, ethics in mental health practice, family dynamics, child and adolescent development, and autism. "Mystical Metaphors" was written in collaboration with a young person who had undergone an experience labeled as psychosis. The text seeks to make the experience understandable to convey the emotional distress and needs this person had. "The Meeting of Two Persons" discusses the social, familial, and political factors leading to emotional distress, the role of oppression in our lives, and the role of the therapist as activist and advocate. Dr. Edmunds has served as a pastoral counselor, Professor of Existential Psychology, psychological associate/evaluator, psychotherapist for community based agencies, clinical director for a therapeutic equestrian program, coordinator of therapeutic communities, and was previously a legislative aide and registered professional lobbyist. He is Board Certified in Sexual Abuse Issues through the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and is a member of the International Society for the Psychosocial Treatment of Psychoses. Dr. Edmunds hold Diplomate status with the American Psychotherapy Association. In addition, he has been a consultant to special education departments and provided educational advocacy services. Dr. Edmunds has lectured and delivered seminars throughout North America and has been a guest on radio television programs among them the nationally syndicated radio program "Take America Back", Talk of Connecticut WRDC-AM (Hartford, CT); The American Law Journal television program on Philadelphia CNN Affiliate; Highway to Health (Tropic Wave Radio, Melbourne, FL), PsycheWhisperer with A.J. Mahari, AM Radio in Clearwater, FL , WHO AM 1040 in Des Moines, Iowa; Paranormal Science on WILK-FM (Scranton/Wilkes Barre, PA), WPUL-AM 1590 (Daytona Beach, FL), KFNX (Phoenix, AZ), Naturally Autistics New Generation Radio program, and Freedomain Radio. Dr. Edmunds is a contributor to Psychology Today in the area of Extreme States of Mind. Dr. Edmunds' radio broadcasts are available on ITunes. In 2006, Dr. Edmunds was the keynote speaker at a protest of a psychiatric conference in Niagara Falls, New York. This conference had been promoting psychiatric drugging of infants. Dr. Edmunds presented at the 4th Annual Alternative Education Resources Organization Conference in June 2007 at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York and at the 2005 and 2010 conferences of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology. Dr. Edmunds has guest lectured or presented at the University of Scranton,Pennsylvania State University (Worthington-Scranton), Russell Sage College, Keystone College, and the University of Florida. He has delivered training seminars and offered consultation to a number of mental health agencies. Dr. Edmunds' approaches have helped to return a 'soul' to the mental health system. With a combined background in community counseling, philosophy, activism, and comparative religion, Dr. Edmunds has sought to integrate new ways of finding meaning and purpose for the persons he serves. Much of his work has been in helping people undergoing emotional and mental distress come to a greater sense of wholeness through personal growth and self-transformation processes. Dr. Edmunds is a member and supporter of the Unconventional Foundation for Autism, an organization for research on alternative therapies. Dr. Edmunds is also a member of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Dr. Edmunds can be contacted by e-mail for consultation at batushkad@yahoo.com Dr. Edmunds provides counseling and consultation to children and families from Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York from his office in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, USA, near Scranton, Pennsylvania and approximately 2 hours from Philadelphia and New York City. Dr. Edmunds is available to provide telephone and internet consultation to those residing in other locations. Dr. Edmunds is also available for lectures and seminars.

'Sane in an Insane World' - Freedomain Radio Interviews Dr Dan Edmunds

Developmental Differences/ Autism

A few years back, my work mainly was with autistic and developmentally different persons but this lessened as I began helping more individuals who were going through extreme states of mind. I wrote the text, "Entering Their Imaginative World" in 2007 and began encouraging the development of drug free, relationship based approaches. Now in 2011, I am expanding my work with autism and developmental differences. In my approach with one person with Down's Syndrome, we sought to find ways to help him feel he was making a contribution, has worth, and feels fulfilled. This was accomplished by giving him particular responsibilities (according to his ability) that tied in with a particular strength and interest he has. I also worked on development of skills through real life rehearsals and active engagement. In my work with autistic children, it has always been the process of 'joining in' that has been remarkable. Many non-verbal children began to develop these skills simply through this engagement.
For more information on my autism/developmental differences work or to arrange a consultation, see the website at http://www.humanepsychiatry.com


-Dan L. Edmunds, Ed.D.

MEETING THE TRUE NEEDS OF CHILDREN DIAGNOSED AS 'ADHD'

How should one look upon Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and what is the effective way to aid those who are given this diagnosis? There has been considerable debate as to whether or not ADHD is a genuine disorder. Psychiatrist and professor Robert Hedaya (1996, pg. 140) mentions that an examination by Hartmann in 1993 felt that ADHD is actually normal variant of human behavior that doesn't fit into cultural norms.




In addition, there is no objective test for this disorder. Hedaya (1996, pg. 140) mentions that a commonly used test is the TOVA (test of variables of attention), a test where the client must use a computer and hit a target at various points. This test is designed to measure the person's response time and distractibility. However, Hedaya (1996, pg. 140) notes, this tool cannot be relied upon to make or exclude the diagnosis in and of itself.
Hedaya (1996, pg. 268) notes that there has been controversy in the use of stimulants for the treatment of ADHD, he states, medications alone do not provide adequate or full treatment in this disorder.


Hedaya (1996, pg. 269) notes that the most serious risk in the use of methylphenidate (Ritalin) for ADHD is that about 1% of these children will develop tics and or Tourette's Syndrome. Hedaya asks the question,"One might wonder-, why use methylphenidate at all?" Hedaya argues that the side effects involved in the use of methylphenidate are mild. However, he notes that side effects include nervousness, increased vulnerability to seizures, insomnia, loss of appetite, headache, stomachache, and irritability. Hedaya (1996, pg. 271) argues that the causation of ADHD lies in problems in dopamine regulation in the brain and states that stimulants work by stimulating dopamine in the brain and thus the symptoms of ADHD are lessened.



However, previously Hedaya states that Zametkin (1995) noted that stimulants have the same effect in both those diagnosed as ADHD and those who are not (Hedaya, 1996, pg. 139). Dr. William Carey of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia commented at the National Institutes of Mental Health Consensus Conference in 1998 that the behaviors exhibited by those considered ADHD were normal behavioral variations. A Multimodal Treatment Study was conducted by the National Institutes of Mental Health in 1999 in regards to ADHD. Psychiatrist Peter Breggin and the members of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology challenged the outcomes of this study because it was not a placebo controlled double blind study. Breggin also argues that that the analysis conducted of behaviors in the classroom of those children studied showed no significant differences between those children receiving stimulant medications versus those who only were utilizing a behavioral management program (MTA Cooperative Group, 1999a, pg. 1074). Breggin notes that there was no control group in the study of untreated children and that 32% of the children involved in the study were already receiving one or more medications prior to the onset of the study. Of those in the study who were the medication management group, they numbered only 144 of which Breggin finds to be enormously small. Breggin states that in the ratings of the children themselves that they noted increased anxiety and depression however this was not found to be a significant factor by the investigators. Breggin also believes that the study was flawed in that drug treatment continued for 14 months whereas behavioral management was utilized for a much shorter duration. Breggin argues that the behavioral management strategies, which involved mainly a token economy system, were ineffective as well and did not take into consideration family dynamics but regardless, the study still

showed that there was no difference between the populations treated with drugs versus those undergoing behavioral management solely. Breggin notes that many of the children receiving medications had adverse drug reactions, which consisted of depression, irritability, and anxiety. 11.4% reported moderate reactions and 2.9% had severe reactions. However, Breggin also states that those reporting the adverse drug reactions were not properly trained, but were rather only teachers and/or parents. The study, as Breggin concludes, showed no improvement in the children treated with medications in the areas of academic performance or social skill development. Breggin feels that the study was improper in that all of the investigators were known to be pro-medication advocates prior to and after the study. Breggin states that Ritalin and other amphetamines have almost identical adverse reactions and have the potential for creating behavioral issues as well as psychosis and mania in some individuals. Breggin argues that these medications often cause the very behaviors they are intended to treat. He notes that children treated with these medications often become robotic and lethargic and that permanent neurological tics can result.


In his textbook, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Russell Barkley, an advocate for the use of methylphenidate in the treatment of ADHD, notes that there is little improvement in academic performance with the short-term use of psychostimulant medication. Barkley also acknowledges that the stimulant medications can affect growth hormone but at present there is not any knowledge of the long-term effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary growth hormones. Barkley (1995, pg. 122) also states, at present there are no lab tests or measures that are of value in making a diagnosis of ADHD





Dr. Sidney Walker, III, (1998, pg. 25) a late board-certified neuropsychiatrist comments that a large number of children do not respond to Ritalin treatment, or they respond by becoming sick, depressed, or worse. Some children actually become psychoticEhe fact that many hyperactive children respond to Ritalin by becoming calmer doesn't mean that the drug is treating a disease. Most people respond to cocaine by becoming more alert and focused, but that doesn't mean they are suffering from a disease treated by cocaine.EIt is interesting to note Walker's analogy of Ritalin to cocaine. Volkow and his colleagues (1997) observed in their study, EMP (methylphenidate, like cocaine, increases synaptic dopamine by inhibiting dopamine reuptake, it has equivalent reinforcing effects to those of cocaine, and its intravenous administration produces a highEsimilar to that of cocaine.E Walker (1998, pg. 14-15) that in addition to emotional struggles of children leading to ADHD-like behavior, that high lead levels, high mercury levels, anemia, manganese toxicity, B-vitamin deficiencies, hyperthyroidism, Tourette's syndrome, temporal lobe seizures, fluctuating blood sugar levels, cardiac conditions, and illicit drug use would all produce behaviors that could appear as what would be considered ADHDEhowever Walker feels that these issues are most often overlooked and the person is considered to be ADHD.
F. Xavier Castellanos states at the 1998 Consensus Conference that those children with ADHD had smaller brain size than those of children who were considered to be normal. However, Castellanos reported as well that 93% of those children considered ADHD in the study were being treated long term with psychostimulants and stated that

the issue of brain atrophy could be related to the use of psychopharmacological agents. Dr. Henry Nasrallah from Ohio State University (1986) found that atrophy occurred in about half of the 24 young adults diagnosed with ADHD since childhood that participated in his study. All of these individuals had been treated with stimulants as children and Nasrallah and colleagues concludes that cortical atrophy may be a long term adverse effect of this treatment.E Physician Warren Weinberg and colleagues stated, a large number of biologic studies have been undertaken to characterize ADHD as a disease entity, but results have been inconsistent and not reproducible because the symptoms of ADHD are merely the symptoms of a variety of disorders.EThe Food and Drug Administration has noted (Walker, 1998, pg. 27) that ee acknowledge that as of yet no distinct pathophysiology (for ADHD) has been delineated.E


There has been concern as well about the addictive component of psychostimulants. The Drug Enforcement Administration (1995c) reports that it was found that methylphenidate's pharmacological effects are essentially the same as those of amphetamine and methamphetamine and that it shares the same abuse potential as these Schedule II stimulants.E


Breggin states that psychiatrist Arthur Green in the Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry published in 1989 reported that all commonly diagnosed disorders of childhood can be linked to abuse and/or neglect. abuse and neglect produces difficulties in school, such as cognitive impairment, particularly in the areas of speech and development, combined with limited attention span and hyperactivity. (Breggin, 1991, pg. 274)




Being that ADHD is a subjective diagnosis and that stimulant treatment has been shown to have risk as detailed above, what is the effective alternative to aiding those who have been diagnosed ADHD and what actually is underlying the difficulties that these individuals may be manifesting? Psychologist and educator Michael Valentine (1988) suggests that it is necessary to “love your children, care about them, do as much as possible to have them grow and develop, teach them social skills, and teach them how to identify and express their feelings and to become uniquely human; but at the same time, care about them and love them enough to give them guidance, structure, limits, and control as they need it.EValentine advocates a psychosocial approach to aiding children and adolescents who would be considered to be ADHD. Psychiatrist Peter Breggin also advocates this approach and feels that it is necessary for parents to feel empowered and for their to be a compassionate therapeutic adult in the lives of these children. Breggin (1998, pg. 308-310) feels it is necessary to examine the effects of institutionalization and placement on children as well as the effects of psychiatric stigmatization (that is, the effects on esteem of receiving the label of ADHDEitself). It is necessary to examine the experience of the child and if they have suffered physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from adults, or have experienced peer abuse. It needs to be examined if they have an appropriate educational setting and if any conflicts exist with instructors or if the educational environment is stressful to them. Psychiatrist William Glasser (2003, pg. 31-32) comments in this regard, Epediatricians are being called in to diagnose schoolchildren who do not cooperate in school because they don't like it as having
attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Treating them with a narcotic drug is only confirming what many psychiatrists and pediatricians already believe: that it's better to use drugs than to try to apply their prestige and clout in the community to the real problem: improving our school s so that students find them enjoyable enough to pay attention and learn in an environment where drugs are not needed. This misguided psychiatric effort has created an epidemic of drug treated mental illnessEin the schools.EBreggin continues that it is also necessary to examine the environment the child lives in and the stressors around them. It is necessary to build relationship and collaboratively design structure and limits with the child or adolescent (Breggin, 1998, pg. 318) Breggin feels it is necessary to train parents in relationship building with their children and in working through situations of conflict. He states, parent management training has consistently proven successful in improving parent self-esteem, in reducing parent stress, and in ameliorating ADHD-like symptoms, especially negative attitudes toward parental authority and aggression.EDr. David Stein (2001, pg. 236-238) has detailed a drug free approach to aiding children who are diagnosed as ADHD who Stein prefers to call highly misbehavingEchildren. In this program, known as the Caregiver's Skills program, Stein states it is necessary to treat your child as normal and not diseased.EHe states that the children should not be taking any medications, as they are risky for the child's health and merely blunt behaviors. Stein argues, if the behaviors don't occur, we can't help (them) learn new habits.EThe program encourages social reinforcement rather than material reinforcement, encouraging parents to refrain from excessive prompting and coaxing. The program encourages development of target behaviors and consistent encouragement and social reinforcement
as well as consistent consequences for misbehavior. The program encourages the self-assessment and evaluation of the child of their own behaviors.





REFERENCES:





Barkley, Russell, Taking Charge of ADHD, Boys Town, NE, Boys Town Press, 1995)



Breggin, Peter R., Reclaiming Our Children, Perseus, Cambridge, MA, 2000)



Breggin, Peter R., Talking Back to Ritalin,Common Courage Press, Monroe, ME, 1998)



Breggin, Peter R., Toxic Psychiatry, St. Martins Press, New York, 1991)



DuPaul, Barkley, and Connor, Stimulants (article appearing in text Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 1998).



Glasser, William, Psychiatry Can Be Hazardous to Your Mental Health, Harper Collins, New York, 2003)



Hedaya, Robert J., Understanding Biological Psychiatry, W.W. Norton, New York, 1996)



Nasrallah, H.J., Loney, S. Olson, M. McCalley-Whitters, J. Kramer, and C. Jacoby, Cortical Atrophy in Young Adults with a History of Hyperactivity in Childhood, Psychiatry Research, 17:241-246, 1986)



National Institutes of Mental Health Consensus Conference Statement, 1998



Stein, David, Unraveling the ADHD Fiasco, Andrews McMeel, Kansas City, 2001)



Walker, Sidney, The Hyperactivity Hoax, St. Martins Press, New York, 1998)



Weinberg, Warren et al., Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Disease or a Symptom Complex, Journal of Pediatrics, 130, 665-6